ABSTRACT
This contribution demonstrates how operation and maintenance of one of the largest suspension bridges worldwide have significantly benefitted from a structural health monitoring (SHM) setup with +400 sensors developed in a unique collaboration between consultants at Ramboll, contractors and the owners from Sund & Bælt. The Great Belt Fixed Link in Denmark opened in 1998 and consists of an 18 km road and railway link composed of a tunnel, a continuous multi-span beam-type bridge, and a suspension road bridge with a main span of 1624m, the current 6th longest worldwide. The aim of the tailormade SHM setup is to provide knowledge of structural performance, deterioration and remaining lifetime to the asset managers that can accordingly plan maintenance and actions for mitigation of undesirable structural performance to ensure economical and sustainable asset management and safe operation. The paper provides an overview of the SHM system followed by case studies showing SHM outputs and how these are used in the operation and maintenance. Specifically, it is presented how the SHM provides insight into the vibration phenomena and fatigue lifetime of the hangers, insight into fatigue lifetime of the main girder including influences of operational and environmental parameters, and insight into wear and lifetime of the bearings. It is revealed how this valuable information are used in decision making of the operation and maintenance of the suspension bridge. Lastly, further improvements of the monitoring system and subsequent analyses are discussed with respect to the further value it brings for the asset managers.
